Cartridge loading block



H. D. HULTERSTRUM 3,244,058

CARTRIDGE LOADING BLOCK April 5, 1966 Filed July 10, 1964 INVENTOR HAROLD D. HULTERSTQUM BY m mwm/ #mM/L@ @litt/(gs.

United States Patent 3,244,058 CARTRIDGE LGADING BLOCK Harold l). Hultcrstrnm, Baraboo, Wis., assignor to Flambeau Plastics Corporation, Baraboo, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed July 10, 1964, Ser. No. 381,775 3 Claims. (Cl. S6-44) My invention relates generally to an improvement in cartridge loading blocks.

In the past it has been known to construct cartridge loading blocks out of a block olf material, generally wood or metal, in which cartridge holding chambers have been drilled or otherwise mach-ined. The holes have been drilled to the approximate diameter of t-he cartridge intended for use therein.

The old type cartridge loading blocks, in addition to being weighty and bulky, are generally limited in their use since a sportsman is required to carry with him several such blocks to accommodate cartridges of various diameters.

One object of my invention is to provide an econo-mically constructed loading block, light in Weight, and of minimum bulkiness that provides support for the charging and recharging of the most common types of cartridges.

Another object of my invention is to provide a thermoplastic loading block having two sides, each side containing a plurality of cartridge loading chambers alternately disposed with the chambers on the opposite side, the chambers on one s-ide being substantially uniform but different in size from the chambers on the opposite side, whereby thin substantial-ly uniform walls are formed between the alternately disposed chambers thus allowing `for ya maximum number of cartridge loading chambers with a minimum of wasted thermoplastic material for any given load-ing block size. The overall depth of this two sided loading block is to be no greater than a loading block having cartridge loading chambers only in one side.

Other objects of the invention are particularly important and include specific details of construction. With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination o-f the various part-s of my cartridge loading block, whereby the objects above contempl-ated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a -plan view of the loading block that is the subject of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a side View of FIG. 1 showing a partial cross sect-ional View along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 -is an enlarged cross sectional side view of FIG. 1 through the line 3-3, showing the draft angles and the thin common walls of substantially luniform cross section separating the alternately disposed chambers.

lFIG. 4 is a partial plan view of the opposite side of FIG. l.

In the accompanying drawing there is shown a cartridge loading block embodying the present invention and delining a iirst plane side 12 in which are disposed a plurality of large cartridge holding chambers 14, and a second plane side 16, parallel to the rst in which are disposed a plural-ity of small cartridge holding chambers 18.

In Ithe particular embodiment illustrated in the drawing there are six large chambers -14 on the vfirst side 1'2 in the longitudinal direction and ve 'in the transverse direction. Similarly, there are six small chambers 18 on the second side 16 in the longitudinal direction and live in the transverse direction.

3,244,058 Patented Apr'. 5, 1966 ice From FIG. l and FIG. 2 it can be seen that the alternately staggered large chambers 14 and small chambers 18 torm substantially uniform thin walls y20 between them.

rIlhe bottom webs 22 of the large chambers 14 are formed by the portions of the second side 16 inters'titially defined between the small chambers 18. The bottom webs 24 of the small chambers 1S are formed by the portions of the rst side 12 interstitially defined between the large chambers '14.

The unique arrangement of the large chambers 14 on the rst side 12 being alternately disposed with small chambers l18 on the second side 16 is made possible by constructing the loading block 10 so that the edges of each longitudinal and each tranverse row of large chambers 14 on the first side 12 are aligned along straight lines as is shown in FIG. 1 at 26. Correspondingly, the Ismall chambers 18 on the second side 16 are so aligned that a match line 28 tall-s parallel to and midway between the edges ot" the small chambers 18 in both the longitudinal and transverse directions as shown -in lFIG. 4 at 28.

IIn a presently preferred embodiment of my invention the loading block is made of a thermoplastic material. It is known that for best plastic molding eiciency it is ideal to have uniform plastic wall thickness. It is also known that to Ifacilitate the removal of a part from a plastic mold it is better if the walls of the product have been formed between corresponding parts of the mold cavity and mold core rather than -by pressure forcing plastic into a slot in either the cavity or the core.

From the drawing it can be seen that a mold cavity and a mold core may alternately tform the large and small loading chambers `14 and 18 and that the thin walls 20 may thereby result 'from the interaction of the mold cavity and core. To aid this interaction and to facilitate removal of the part from a mold I have provided uni-*form draft angles 30 on the alternately staggered large chambers 14 and small chambers 18.

Flange handles for turning the loading block to utilize both large and small chambers appear at 32 yand 34. In the embodiment -show-n the flange handles are parallel to but midway between the planes of the sides of the loading block. A carrying ring hole 36 appears in llange 34. The ilange handles cooperate with the ribs 33 and the 'hin walls Ztl to add strength and rigidity to the loading f lock.

One particular embodiment of my invention which in practice I have found adequately provides for the needs ot a sportsman is to so construct my loading block 1@ so that the large chambers 14 have an inscribed diameter of approximately .550 inch and `the small chambers l18 have an inscribed diameter of approximately .472 inch. With such a construction a draft angle `30 of approximately 1/2 is used, and the uniform thin walls measure approximately .O45 inch in thickness. This particular embodiment provides suiicienly firm load-ing block support for cartridges ranging in diameter trom .22 to .455 inch.

It is apparent from PIG. 2 that the overall depth of the load-ing block or the distance between the trst side 12 and the second sid-e 16 is -no greater than that wh-ich would be required for a loading block having cartridge loading chambers only in one side.

Hidden line views of two cartridge casings positioned Iin the loading Iblock for charging or recharging with gun powder appear at 4t) in FIG. 2.

'Ilhe arrangement disclosed provides a single loading block having different sized cartridge loading chambers in each of two sides, and results in a low cost, light weight thermoplastic cartridge loading block of minimum bulkiness capable of handling substantially all of the common diameter cartridges.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications, a preferred embodiment has been sho-wn in the drawings and has been described in considerable detail. It should be `understood that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I cla-im as my invention:

1. A cartridge loading block comprising two parallel plane sides, each side dening a plurality of substantially uniform square Icartridge holding chambers, said chambers on `one side being alternately staggered in opposed relationship to the chambers defined in said other side to form uniform thin walls therebetween, said chambers on one side being substantially of one uniform size and said chambers on the other side being of a different substantially uniform size, flanges for handling sa-id cartridge loading block substantially iin a plane parallel to and between those of the parallel plane sides, said uniform thin walls being ,045 `inch thick, the chambers on one side having an inscribed diameter of .550 inch and the chambers -on the other side having an inscribed diameter of .472 inch.

2. A molded plastic cartridge loading block comprising two parallel plane sides, each side defining a plurality of substantially uniform square cartridge holding chambers, said chambers on one side being alternately staggered in opposed relationship to the chambers defined in said other side to form uniform thin walls therebetween, said chambers on one side being substantially of one uniform size and said chambers on the other side being of a different substantially uniform size, 4said uniform thin walls being .045 inch thick, the chambers on one side having an inscribed diameter of .550 inch and the chambers on the other side having an inscribed d-iameter of .472 inch,

3. A molded plastic cartridge loading block comprising two parallel plane sides, each side defining a plurality of substantially uniform square cartridge holding chambers, said chambers on one side being alternately staggered in opposed relationship to the chambers defined in said other side to yform uniform thin walls therebetween, said chambers on one side being substantially of one uniform size and said chambers on the other side being olf a different substantially uni-form size, `the chambers on one side having an inscribe-d diameter of .055 inch and the chambers on the other s-ide having an inscribed diameter of .472 inch.

References Cited hy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,024,388 4/1912 Bartlett 20G-17 2,926,809 3/1960 Studler 211-14 X 2,928,530 3/ 1960 Sauey 206-3 3,031,311 4/196'2 Nakagawa 206-72 X FOREIGN PATENTS 639,739 2/ 1935 Germany. 119,321 3/1927 Switzerland.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

R. V. LOTTMANN, Assistant Examiner. 

3. A MOLDED PLASTIC CARTRIDGE LOADING BLOCK COMPRISING TWO PARALLEL PLANE SIDES, EACH SIDE DEFINING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SQUARE CARTRIDGE HOLDING CHAMBERS, SAID CHAMBERS ON ONE SIDE BEING ALTERNATELY STAGGERED IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHAMBERS DEFINED IN SAID OTHER SIDE TO FORM UNIFORM THIN WALLS THEREBETWEEN, SAID CHAMBERS ON ONE SIDE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY OF ONE UNIFORM SIZE AND SAID CHAMBERS ON THE OTHER SIDE BEING OF A DIFFERENT SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE, THE CHAMBERS ON ONE SIDE HAVING AN INSCRIBED DIAMETER OF .055 INCH AND THE CHAMBERS ON THE OTHER SIDE HAVING AN INSCRIBED DIAMETER OF .472 INCH. 